Quarter Turn of the Cycle
by Wind Child
Summary: Approx 2 years after the movie. Ashitaka is called away from Tatara Ba, and the Shishigami is gone for good. San battles new enemies in the forest-could the Chinese have a stake in the destruction of the gods? Please read and review!
1. The Old Dirt Road

Chapter 1  
  
The Old Dirt Road  
  
"Eboshi-sama!"  
  
Koroku ran up to the building, waving the paper around in the air. He leapt up the stairs onto the porch and knocked on the door. "Eboshi-sama!"  
  
Shortly, a dark-haired woman with pale skin dressed in a purple kimono came out. Her eyes were dark, but her features were not unkind. "Yes, Koroku? What is it?"  
  
Koroku brandished the paper. There was writing on it. "This came in the mail from across the mountains. It's from the Kanosen group of entrepreneurs in Urusuke!"  
  
Eboshi Gozen took the paper and read it. "Oh, my. How interesting."  
  
"What is it, Eboshi-sama?"  
  
"It's a formal request. They ask us to send a representative of Tatara Ba to one of their annual conferences so they can propose an agreement."  
  
"What kind of agreement?"  
  
"It merely says, 'an arrangement for the future of Tatara Ba.' Koroku, I think we'd better call a counsel. Go and tell everyone to meet in the hall at once."  
  
"Yes, Eboshi-sama."  
  
When the town had gathered, Eboshi stood up to speak. The room quieted, and she met thirty pairs of anxious eyes. "I have just received a letter from very far away. It has been sent by a collaboration of entrepreneurs who say they have a proposition that could change our future. They request that we send an emissary to hear them out. I want to know what you all think about this."  
  
Immediately, the room came alight with spoken questions. "What kind of proposition?" "I think we should make them come to us." "What kind of entrepreneurs are they, anyway?" "What do they want with Tatara Ba?"  
  
"Quiet!" Everyone obeyed. Koroku's wife, Toki, stood and faced them all. "We're getting nowhere. I suggest we let Eboshi-sama read the whole letter, and then we can discuss it."  
  
Murmurs of agreement followed this, and Eboshi held up the paper and read, "To the distinguished leaders of Tatara Ba, I greet you with highest respect. My name is Kurayami Juu, and I have what I think you'll find as an interesting proposition. My colleagues and I, members of the Kanosen group of entrepreneurs here in Urusuke, have heard of the amazing amounts of iron you are able to produce each year, and we are most interested in bargaining with you. We believe we have an idea, an arrangement for the future of Tatara Ba. We humbly request that you send one or two of your numbers to Urusuke to our annual conference so that we may discuss it further. I cannot disclose any details at present, but I assure you, it will be well worth the trip. Very respectfully yours, Kurayami Juu and the Kanosen group."  
  
There was some inarticulate murmuring going on now, none of the invigorated demands of earlier. Eboshi lowered the paper. "So, what do you all think we should do?" Her level gaze swept the crowd.   
  
"Well," said Toki, "I can't tell if they're being sincere or not. This could be a trap of some kind. They didn't say who they want us to send, but I bet they want you, Eboshi-sama."  
  
"Yeah," said Gonza gruffly, "it sounds a little fishy to me, too."  
  
"Then perhaps we shouldn't send Eboshi-sama." Everyone turned to look as Ashitaka stood. "We need her here to keep things running. This season has always been hardest, with the cold coming on and the fires needing extra manning."  
  
"Or womaning!" said Toki jokingly, and they all laughed, including Eboshi. But when the room quieted down, it was Gonza who spoke.  
  
"If it is your wish, Eboshi-sama, I will go in your place to see what the foreigners want."  
  
Eboshi turned to look at the man. "There is no one I would trust more to go in my place, Gonza, but I need you here. The men need your command as well as your strength. Ashitaka." As she turned back, she saw in the young man's eyes that he already knew what she would ask of him. "I know I have no right to ask this of you, but I can think of no one better suited to leave Tatara Ba at such a time. Will you go? That is, if you all will agree that he is worthy."  
  
No one spoke for a while. Then Ashitaka stood. "I will."  
  
Eboshi gave him a slight smile. "Thank you. We can only pray that we are not sending Tatara Ba's newest citizen into peril."  
  
"Don't worry about me. Your only concern is keeping the fires burning when the winter rains come, and making sure everyone here is safe and sound." With that, he left to go and make preparations to depart.  
  
The meeting dispersed, and everyone went back to thei r work stations. It had only been two years since the Shishi Gami had, in his last moments of fury, destroyed the forest looking for its head, and then restored it once he was dead. There were still only a few trees who had managed to become saplings in that span of time, but already it had begun to look like a forest again. Meanwhile, the people of Tatara Ba had dusted themselves off, picked up their tools, and started working on building a new town on the islet in the lake. They had managed to erect two permanent bunks, one for the men and the other for the women, a shanty meeting hall, and the building that contained the bellows and the storehouses for the iron. There were a few tumbledown temporary shelters for Eboshi-sama's leper friends and Eboshi herself, but they had already begun work on permanent housing for them, too. Slowly, season by season, it was starting to look like a town again. The wood from the trees that had fallen down during the Rage of the Giant (for so had that awful event come to be called) was still in abundance, and the supply showed no signs of dwindling. It was this that they used to build their town, making good that which was old to construct their new life. All in all, things were going well here in Tatara Ba.  
  
However, Ashitaka had been right; the winter was still the hardest season of them all, and most of them had agreed that they should not send Gonza because of his importance among the men. Also, some said good-naturedly, they didn't think Gonza would last two days by himself in a large city such as Urusuke without anyone familiar to him. Yes, they said to themselves, Ashitaka was a wanderer by creed. He often took two- and three-day journeys into the forest, to see the wolf-girl, some said. Others said he was going to a conference of the gods, where they discussed the progress and future of the forest. Still others stated, "It's none of our concern where he goes. He always comes back, doesn't he?" Some just didn't know what to think. To them, the young man of few words and mysterious origins was still a stranger. However, they did notice that the young man was growing older; taller, sturdier, and, if it was possible, more skilled than ever with hand and foot at whatever he did. Yes, he was growing older, and many of the young girls in the town had their eyes on him. But he had no eyes for any other than San, whom no one had seen near Tatara Ba since the Rage of the Giant. That, if nothing else, had stayed the same.  
  
As Ashitaka laced his pack onto Yakul's saddle, he thought of San. *Perhaps I should tell her where I will be going.* He cast his gaze out to the forest, but he must have lingered for longer than he meant to, for Yakul nudged his shoulder as if to remind him of what he was doing. Ashitaka smiled in fondness at his friend, and then he said, "All right, Yakul, it's time to be going."  
  
Just then, Eboshi came up behind him. With her was Gonza. She was carrying two packs, one large, the other small. These she handed to him. "Take these with you. The larger one is rice and dried meat that the women took from our stores, and the other is something from Gousa. He said it might make your stay in the city a little easier."  
  
Ashitaka took them both. "Thank the women and Gousa for me. I should be back within a fortnight. I will write every other day, when I can. Come on, Yakul." The red elk took off swiftly, crossing the land bridge and rushing headlong into the forest. Ashitaka did not look back.  
  
They traveled that day until nearly sundown, coming to rest in a familiar place, the swamplike grove just a little ways off the river. The place was much changed; all of the great trees had been ripped up and knocked into the water, and there was green fuzz and mushrooms growing over everything. However, Ashitaka knew this to be the same place where he had first glimpsed the Forest Guardian, the Shishigami. After taking the packs off Yakul, the two of them refreshed themselves, ate, and waited. Ashitaka laid out his roll, intending to sleep, but very shortly he was awakened by the sense of someone next to him.  
  
It was San.  
  
"How long have you been there?" he asked her.  
  
"Only a few minutes. You don't sleep very soundly."  
  
He sat up. "Where are the two pups?"  
  
"They're back at the den. They saw me coming, but I asked them not to follow me." She looked over at his bags, which were in a pile by a large tree. "Where are you going with so much luggage?"  
  
"Tatara Ba received a letter from a group of entrepreneurs who said they had an idea they'd like to share with us. I'm the representative going to meet them at their quarters in Urusuke."  
  
"Urusuke? I've heard of that place. Okotokushii and his boars had to go around it to get here. What do you think they want?"  
  
"I'm going there to find out. All they said in their letter was that they had a proposition that could change Tatara Ba's future."  
  
"But I thought you said you all were doing rather well."  
  
"They are. Rebuilding goes smoothly, but production is not what it once was. They are concerned about the coming winter, as well."  
  
"Hmm." San trailed her finger in the water, then dipped her cupped hand in and drank. "We got a visit from the new boar leader. He said he leads all that are left of the boar tribe that came from the south, but that can't be a very large number. I could tell he knew that the god-race is dying, and he was saddened, but determined to see it through. I like him, as much as I like any boar."  
  
Ashitaka gave her a small smile. Just then, a flashing yellow light illuminated the sky to the south. It was brief, but impressive.  
  
Both of them sprang to their feet, and Yakul looked up in alarm. "What was that?" asked San.  
  
But Ashitaka had no answer. He had never seen anything like that before. It was not like lightning, and not like fireworks, either. It had flickered, like a huge flare of some far-off fire.  
  
Without a word, San took off running in that direction, Ashitaka not far behind on Yakul. When the red elk caught up to her, San swung on, and the three of them galloped off into the forest.  
  
They traveled southward for perhaps half an hour before Ashitaka called Yakul to a walk. Yakul picked his way forward through the rocks and plants, until they could see a small light coming from up ahead, just over a ridge which bordered a small, shallow valley. The two dismounted and advanced just a little.  
  
This sight met them: a large ring filled with something luminescent and yellow, and within the ring two tall structures opposite each other. There were four men standing in the center of the circle. The men were all half-naked and covered in green, yellow, and red paint. They didn't speak to each other, but seemed to be communicating by strange gestures.  
  
As San and Ashitaka watched, the strangers finished their session and simultaneously stepped backwards right to the inner edges of the ring. Then each man, in turn, stretched his hands skyward and spoke in a loud voice in some strange yet somehow familiar-sounding language.  
  
"It's the language of the gods," San whispered, her voice tense. "The gods used to use it when they would speak to each other. It was the only language the Shishigami spoke. I only learned part of it from Mother." She then looked angry. "How dare they defile that language with their filthy human tongues?" She stood and marched out to the edge of the ridge. "What do you want here?" she shouted down at them.  
  
All five of them immediately turned to look up at her. Their ring was perhaps fifty feet from where she stood. One of them turned full around to face her. "Who are you?" he asked, pointing accusingly up at her, as if she were the intruder.  
  
"What are you doing here? What do you want?"  
  
"We have come to claim what is ours. Now answer our question: who are you?"  
  
"I should be asking you that, you arrogant, filthy human!"  
  
"Watch your tongue, girl! You do not know to whom you speak!"  
  
"Go away! You're not welcome here, whoever you are!"  
  
"We will not leave until our mission is fulfilled!"  
  
It was at this point that Ashitaka stood. "Please listen to me. My name is Ashitaka. Please, tell us what your mission is."  
  
"We have come to recollect what should have been ours. Those giant gods which are said to rule these mountains were never meant to be here! Their power was intended for humans, and we will return it to them! We are the Seishagami, the living god-makers, and those who gain our favor will gain more through our graces. We will bring about the apocalypse of the gods and humans."  
  
San had had about enough. She burst out laughing, but her laughter was short, mocking. "You think that just coming in here with some fancy lights and symbols will make the gods part with their powers? You stupid weakling humans know less than I thought you did!"  
  
At this, the man bared his teeth and barked, "Foolish girl! You know not to whom you speak! We of the Seishagami have greater powers than your gods have ever dreamed!" As if to prove this, he raised his hand and uttered a lengthy incantation in the same language. As a result, a thin, bluish light gathered at his palm and traveled outward like fire on a rope that had been doused in oil towards San.  
  
The girl was so shocked that all she could do was stand there. However, something heavy collided with her, knocking her sideways. The bluish light passed over them, then slowly dissipated.  
  
San found that it was Ashitaka who had knocked her over. "Come, San," he whispered fervently. "We cannot stay."  
  
San, in her astonishment, did not argue. The two of them stole back over the ridge, mounted, and rode away.  
  
The ride was silent. When they reached the campsite, they dismounted. San went to the rivulet's banks to stare into its depths, and Ashitaka tended to Yakul, who was rather sweaty.  
  
Suddenly, San cried, "Where did he get such powers? I've never seen anything like it. And where are they from? Their accent is strange, and their noses are flat and their foreheads large and round."  
  
"I do not know." Ashitaka looked over at her. Her figure was outlined by the weak, silver crescent moon. He could not remember when she had stood so still before. It seemed that she was always moving, always changing, and he could never change fast enough to match her.  
  
Suddenly, her stance changed, and she turned around to face him. There was a steel glint in her eyes. "I must warn the pups. The boars must be informed as well."  
  
Ashitaka nodded. "I understand."  
  
Wordlessly, she strode off into the shrubs. Ashitaka watched her go with a trained expression on his face. He watched until she was hidden by the taller saplings. Then, without further delay, he settled once more into his sleeping roll and went to sleep.  
  
Yeah, yeah, I know. It's a rather short first chapter, but SO? I can do that… and it assures that you don't get too much into it and then accuse me of doing a cliffhanger… *ahemahem* Now go review! 


	2. The Narrow Plank of Friendship Offered

Chapter 2: The Narrow Plank of Friendship Offered  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Ashitaka continued on the next morning, and the next, and the next. He arrived in the outskirts of Urusuke on the morning of the fourth day. The city was quietly sleeping under its blanket of dew as Ashitaka gazed at it from his vantage point on the foothills above. He had only left the forest behind the day before, and already he missed its comforting presence. The city of Urusuke was bordered by a wide plains area, patched by fields of rice, barley, and wheat.  
  
He descended the last slope to the edge of the largest city he had ever laid eyes on. On the outskirts were a few sleepy-looking grocery shops. Ashitaka drank in the sights and smells, and then suddenly he heard a male voice off to his left. A man was just emerging from a back door in his small shop, and he had been speaking over his shoulder to someone in the room behind him. The man came out into the general area of his shop and flipped an 'open' sign over the front of it. He spotted Ashitaka, and his friendly eyes lit up. "Hello, there. May I interest you in some freshly-picked oranges? Shipped in daily all the way from Shikoku!"   
  
Ashitaka turned toward him and said, "Actually, I was wondering if you could give me directions. I'm looking for the headquarters of the Kanosen group of entrepreneurs."  
  
The man nodded slowly. "Oh, you travel in big circles, do you? Well, I can tell you, you've got some walking to do. It's further into the city that way--" he waved his hand in the direction Ashitaka had been going. "You go that way until you get to the third large intersection. There should be an inn on your right. Take a left, then take the very next left, and then a right. You'll come to a dead end, but on the right should be a doorway. This doorway will take you to the street on the other side of the dead end, it's exact reverse. Once you come out of the opposite dead end, directly to your right will be the Kanosen building."  
  
Ashitaka said, "Thank you very much," and bought two oranges from the man. Then he went off in the way he had been instructed.  
  
When Ashitaka found the correct building without too much trouble--just a lot of interruptions from the traffic and the crowds--he left Yakul by the side of the building in the alley he had just come out of and immediately walked up to the door. The door was made of glass, so Ashitaka could see inside. The building was not very crowded; the only people he could see were occupying various labeled desks that were situated around the foyer. He entered the building and looked around briefly. He then spotted a desk labeled "General Information," and he walked over. Seated at it was a bright-looking young woman wearing a pink business suit and a matching headband. He said, "Excuse me, could you please direct me to the office of Kurayami Juu?"  
  
She looked up at him and said, "Kurayami-san is with the other group members in a very important national meeting now. It is only scheduled to last another hour, so perhaps you should wait until he and the others are finished."  
  
"May I ask what room number?"  
  
"Room 384 on the third floor. Up those stairs." She pointed to an outcropping in the wall, underneath which Ashitaka spotted the bottom of a flight of stairs.  
  
"Thank you very much." Just like that, Ashitaka headed up the stairs. He floundered around for a moment while he tried to determine where the room actually was, and when he finally found it, he also found that there were four men standing outside of its double doors. When he approached, one of them came up to meet him and stood directly in Ashitaka's path, right in the center of the hallway.  
  
"I'm sorry, sir, but this area is restricted. The Kanosen group are in a very important meeting, and no one can be allowed in."  
  
Ashitaka stopped and looked at the man. "You say that this area is restricted? What about that part right there?" He indicated a spot on the floor right next to the wall on his right.  
  
The man looked confused, and he asked, "What about it, sir?"  
  
"I'd like to sit there and wait. Is that allowed?"  
  
"Uh, I suppose so. You understand we'll have to check you out first, of course."  
  
"Of course."  
  
Ashitaka allowed the men to sift through his clothes and belongings, and when they only found food, clothes, and his bedroll, which they were very thorough in turning inside out and feeling, he was allowed to sit down.  
  
It was a very long hour, but when the doors opened and people began filing out, Ashitaka immediately stood and watched. There were several men and a few women, all bearing nametags that told who they were, where they were from, and what group they belonged to. Using these, Ashitaka picked out the man named Kurayami Juu, and quickly moved to intercept him.  
  
The man stopped and looked him up and down. "May I help you?"  
  
Ashitaka stepped forward. "Kurayami-san, my name is Ashitaka. I have come as an emissary from the village of Tatara Ba, as your letter requested."  
  
Kurayami's face did not change. "We thought that perhaps Eboshi Gozen would come to us."  
  
"She is very busy. The winter season is coming, and there are some buildings that must be rebuilt before then."  
  
Kurayami nodded. "Of course. Will you accompany me to my office?"  
  
Ashitaka gave a small bow. "Lead the way."  
  
Kurayami's office was on the second floor. It was a very spacious, very comfortable dual office. One room had a tidy desk in it with a chair that rolled on wheels, and the other room had several large armchairs and a coffee table in the middle. Lining the walls of the second room were bookshelves with a few thick volumes and several varied collectors' items. Kurayami beckoned Ashitaka into this second room.  
  
"Please, sit down." Kurayami graciously closed the door behind them. Ashitaka took him up on his offer, and Kurayami took the other chair. "Now, about why you are here. I hope it wasn't inconvenient for you."  
  
"If it had been inconvenient I wouldn't have come."  
  
"Of course." The man opened a small case on the coffee table. "Cigar?"  
  
"No, thank you."  
  
"Ah, it's just as well. I never smoke them, but I keep them around anyway." Here he paused, and the two eyed each other, each trying to discern what the other was thinking. "To get right to the point, Ashitaka, I asked you to come here because I wanted you to feel that you had gotten the most information possible. I also wanted you to see how we run things here, and if it interests the people of Tatara Ba. We've had our eye on your little town for quite some time, and even with the recent tragedy, the Rage of the Giant, we can tell that you will continue to prosper as you have in the past. Asano-sama saw the same thing we do, but we see it through different eyes.  
  
"We have come to the conclusion that Tatara Ba cannot prosper as it should without outside help. That is usually the way of things. We have a proposition--we will send extra men to help rebuild and man the ironworks, along with funding to pay for their housing and food, and you, in return, will allot us a portion of the iron as profit. We will sell our portion here in the city and abroad as well. Our portion of the iron will be forged by our own men, who will also teach your people how to make it into the appropriate pieces. Once your town is sufficiently rebuilt, we will withdraw our men, and you will continue to forge our portion of the iron. At that point, we will then sanction off forty percent of the profit we make here in the city--which is regularly twice as high as your merchants would ever get, because of our reputation, you see--and give that to you."  
  
For a moment, Ashitaka said nothing, but his eyes dropped to the floor as he pondered this. "You have thought about this much. I trust you will give me the opportunity to do the same."  
  
"Of course."  
  
"I would also like to write to Eboshi-sama once I can find accomodations."  
  
"Well, if I may be so bold as to suggest a good place to stay, if you leave this building and go right until you come to the second intersection, there is a place of good repute on that corner."  
  
The two men rose, and Ashitaka bowed, thanked him, and left. He went down the stairs to the lobby and exited the building. Taking the man's suggestion, he found the inn he had spoken of. Regrettably, however, the price for a room was a bit more than Ashitaka had expected, and when the innkeeper would not haggle down, Ashitaka promptly left. He decided to go back the way he had come, to the inn that he had been told of by the grocer. He found it with ease, and was delighted to find that this one's prices were considerably lower. He made the necessary arrangements for himself and for Yakul and was shown his room.  
  
The room was bare, but only slightly dirty. There was a cot, a nightstand with a drawer, basin, and mirror, and a stool. There was only one window, and this was dirty and dusty.  
  
Then Ashitaka was alone. He set down his pack, took out his paper and pen, and began:  
  
Eboshi-sama,  
  
I have found the Kanosen headquarters and have spoken with the man named Kurayami Juu. He seems an interesting man. I have yet to meet his colleagues.  
  
His proposition is this: if we consent, he and his colleagues will be sending back with me several workers of some skill in iron forging. They will assist us in any way they can toward rebuilding Tatara Ba, and in the meantime they will collect a certain amount of the iron produced and use it as profit, forged by their own hands into the shape of desire. This they will sell in the city at their profit.  
  
Once Tatara Ba is sufficiently rebuilt and reestablished, their workers will leave, leaving behind the knowledge of how to forge the iron in their fashion. We will continue to allot them their percentage of the iron, forged by ourselves, and then he says that when it is sold in the city, we will receive a part of that profit.  
  
It seems to me very extensively thought out, and will require a lot of trust from either end. I have yet to determine whether Kurayami-san is trustworthy, but I will keep you informed.  
  
Dutifully yours,  
  
Ashitaka  
  
Ashitaka put down the quill and folded the letter. He sealed it with the wax and seal Eboshi Gozen had given him and set it back down. He stared at it for a moment, thinking about all that had ensued that day. *I wonder what Eboshi-sama's reaction will be.*  
  
He then stood and brought the letter to the post to be sent. Afterwards, he bought dinner from the inn and sat around for a while, listening and thinking.  
  
Shortly, a woman came up to him. "Anybody sitting here?" she asked.  
  
He looked up at her. "No, go ahead."  
  
She did very deliberately. He noticed that her dress was cut very low, and her eyes were heavily colored. She fixed him with a sultry gaze and asked, "May I offer you my services?"  
  
"You work here?"  
  
"Yes, sir."  
  
"No, I would not, thank you." He rose and fastened his mask, heading for the door. Out of the corner of his eye, however, he saw the young woman screw her face into a pout, grumpily put her chin in her hand, and sigh.  
  
Ashitaka made his way to the stable to check on Yakul. He found his red elk in one of the last stalls on the right. "Hi there, Yakul. Does it suit you all right?"  
  
His friend nuzzled him in the chest in reply, and Ashitaka smiled. "Well, that's a relief."  
  
"You sure have a way with that animal."  
  
Ashitaka turned around to meet a pair of friendly grey eyes. "Hi, I'm Tazumo, the stablemaster." The man was much older than Ashitaka, with an almost totally bald head, wrinkled tan skin, and grey stubble growing from his chin. He smiled, stretching out his wrinkles, which seemed to creak in protest of overuse.  
  
"My name is Ashitaka." Ashitaka took the man's proffered hand and shook it. "This is Yakul."  
  
"Ah, I wanted to meet the man who owned this fine beast. Why, the minute he got in here, he pranced right into that stall as if he owned it!"  
  
Ashitaka laughed. "That's Yakul, all right. I'm glad to know he'll be getting along fine. I had just come down here to visit."  
  
The man raised up both hands. "I'm not asking questions... well, except for this one, if you don't mind."  
  
Ashitaka looked curious. "Go on."  
  
"Where did you find him? I know you don't see red elks every day; even out there in the forest they're pretty rare. I was just wondering how you found him and managed to tame him so well."  
  
Ashitaka smiled. "Yakul and I go way back. I wasn't even living near here when we first met, so the name of the place would mean nothing to you."  
  
Tazumo nodded. "Ah. I see."  
  
A voice drifted out from the other end of the stable. "Hey, Tazumo! A word, if you please!"  
  
Tazumo said to Ashitaka, "Guess I'd better be getting back. See you."  
  
Ashitaka merely raised a hand in farewell.  
  
Later that evening, when Ashitaka was in his room, readying himself for bed, a thought came to him. *I wonder if San's been able to warn the boars about the intruders. I hope the newcomers haven't tried anything else to gain entry to the forest.* For he understood full well what could happen if it turned out that the tree spirits were still too vulnerable to attack to keep them out. He could only hope that the intruders didn't know that.  
  
Suddenly, he noticed movement in one of the corners near the window. A wisp of yellow light danced madly on the floor. The window itself was also speckled yellow. Ashitaka went to the window and wiped an area clean.  
  
On the street, many men were running back and forth, shouting words Ashitaka could not hear. One man pointed to the far end of the street, where the yellow light was coming from. Ashitaka could see a wagon, stranded on a curb in an enormous pothole, all ablaze with flippantly flashing fire.  
  
Ashitaka was down on the streets in a minute. He spotted a line of men coming from around a corner carrying buckets filled with water. He sped to the place from which they'd come and found a well in the middle of the square, from which was being drawn water. He quickly joined the line of men and women who were waiting to get buckets. This was going to be a long night.  
  
Ashitaka lost count of the times he ran back and forth, carrying water to and an empty bucket from the blazing wagon. He could feel the heat from it each time he got close, when he threw his bucketful onto the smoking wood, which then began to hiss and let off steam. When the fire was tamed enough so that belongings could be grabbed off from some places, Ashitaka joined the crew of men. As far as he could see, all was blackened and indistinguishable. But wait!--there was something. Something covered in a melting metal. Ashitaka took up a pair of soaked wooden tongs and drew the thing out. As he was placing it on the ground, someone from the curb cried out, and the next thing Ashitaka knew, this someone was running towards him, arms outstretched, fingers craving whatever the thing was. Ashitaka stood and held out his hand in warning. "Don't come near! It's very hot."  
  
The girl didn't seem to have heard him, so he caught her by the stomach before she could get past him. "You shouldn't touch it now," he said calmly.  
  
She continued to struggle against his arm. "No! I have to! That's my father's!"  
  
"I can't let you burn yourself!"  
  
"But you don't understand! It's special! It won't burn me!"  
  
"The metal was melting off of it. It hasn't cooled down yet! You have to wait for a little while."  
  
"No! I won't!" With that, she broke out of his reach and rushed toward it, sinking down on her knees in front of it. It was boxlike in shape, and seemed to have some kind of hingeing top, which she reached to open.  
  
Ashitaka was too late. She lifted the lid, but she did not squeal with pain. Her hand did not seem to be burned. With wide eyes, Ashitaka watched her lift something out of the box--something yellow, round, and glowing. It looked to be made of glass, with a yellow, liquid-like substance floating around in it and causing the glow. She cradled it to her chest and rose. She turned to face Ashitaka and began to walk past him. "Told you so," she murmured smugly in his ear as she passed him. 


	3. Corroding Light

Chapter 3   
  
Corroding Light  
  
San rode through the dark forest that same night. After a very long argument with her brothers, she had finally convinced them that this problem was serious enough to warn the boars. She knew that her brothers felt the same way she did--none of them would ever forgive the boars for the death of Moro--but she told herself grudgingly that that would have to wait until better days. Right now, the lives of all the Gods were at stake--and hers as well, for she lived their world, knew their ways, and loved their Forest. Not to mention the fact that, though she knew that the intruders were humans and easy to kill, she felt the foul taste of fear rising in her mouth every time she saw in her mind that thin bluish light that had come out from the man's hand.  
  
  
  
The two wolf pups paused at the end of a precipice. "They shouldn't be much farther ahead," said one of them. "Boars are slow." San smirked. She had to agree that wolves were much better suited for travel, but she didn't say so. At a silent prompting, her brothers began to descend by leaps and bounds down the cliff. San leaned backwards on instinct, making sure to keep a tight hold with her knees. She caught a glimpse of something moving in the trees below them, and she pointed, "There!" The wolves leapt off the cliff, landed, and dashed off in that direction.  
  
They caught up with the envoy of boars a few minutes later. San pulled up beside the lead boar, the new leader, the one who had introduced himself as Ikimarakushii, Okotokushii's son. "Ikimara-sama! You must stop and listen to what I have to say!"  
  
The boar raised his head, mighty tusks catching the dappled moonlight, and called for his group of boars to halt. "What is it you want, Moro-ko? We boars are tired, and wish to be back home. If there is more to say, why did you not say it when we were in council together?"  
  
San said in a respectful tone, "Ikimara-sama, I only learned of this news half and hour ago. I have seen intruders in the forest."  
  
Ikimara was nonplussed. "This is not our forest. It is not our concern if your borders are violated."  
  
San pleaded, "No, Ikimara-sama, it does concern you this time. They are humans, and I spoke with them. They are not after the forest, but they seek out the Gods, intending to strip them of their power."  
  
Ikimara's eyes narrowed. "Foolishness. They will then swiftly meet their deaths. Why do your brothers not decide to eat them?"  
  
San shook her head. "They are too powerful. Their source of power is... unbelievable. I have never seen its like before. They tried to kill me using--using a kind of light that flowed all around them, that shot out at me in a blue thread. I don't know it's name, but something told me that it would be harder to beat them than we may think."  
  
"You are young yet, Moro-ko. You do not know just how far back the power of the Gods goes. We will not be uprooted so easily by some upstart humans. I suggest that you do not delay us further with idle childish fears." Ikimara signaled to his boars, and then started off again.  
  
"No!" San began to follow them, running beside Ikimara. "You cannot take this too lightly, Ikimara-sama! Their powers are not of this land, and I do not know if the land can beat them! Please, you must listen to me! The Gods' race is dying out already, and we should work to preserve what is left! If they overpower us, then they will come after your tribe next! Please stay and help us defeat them!"  
  
Ikimara looked at her reprovingly. "It is not my wish that I should stay away from my home any longer. If your brothers cannot defeat the humans, then they are no more than weaklings, half-Gods, not meant to rule this forest anyway."  
  
The two wolves growled at this, hackles raised, and two boars behind Ikimara looked around at them, baring their teeth in defense. But San placed her hands on her brothers' heads and said, "No, peace, brothers. We cannot fight them now, not when we have our own enemies back there. Let's go back."  
  
San leapt nimbly onto one of the wolves' back, and the three of them rode in silence for a while. Then one wolf spoke up. "You should have known he would never listen. He is still a boar, after all, and boars are incredibly stubborn."  
  
San sighed. "I know, but I had to try." She then gave a wry grimace. "If it comes to it, we could always ask the Apes to stone them to death."  
  
Her brothers laughed, a laugh which sounded more like a raspy snarl, but they were both grinning. San grinned too, and then everything was all right again. Almost.  
  
***  
  
"Dutifully yours, Ashitaka." Eboshi Gozen lowered the letter. The assembly before her was silently thoughtful for a few minutes, then one of the women said, "Sounds like he's doing well. Wish we could say the same."  
  
Eboshi's face saddened. "I know. The fires are not holding out like we'd hoped because of all this late rain, and the wood that isn't in storage yet is getting soaked through and growing mold. If we don't move fast enough, we could be in trouble." Then she raised her voice to make sure all heard her. "All the more reason to get back to work. Come on, everyone."  
  
The small group of men and women (and a few children) dispersed to mingle with the rest of the inhabitants of Tatara Ba. However, Toki stayed behind and came up to Eboshi. "Eboshi-sama, I have something to tell you."  
  
Eboshi looked at the woman. "Yes, Toki? What is it?"  
  
"Well, last night, the women on watch reported seeing some kind of light coming from the southwest. I hadn't thought it was important enough to wake you, so I just told them to tell me if it happens again."  
  
Eboshi looked interested. "That's strange. What kind of light?"  
  
"Well, I didn't see it myself, but they said it was kind of yellow, and it might have been lightning if it hadn't lasted so long."  
  
"Yes, I think that's best. And you, in turn, will inform me, please?"  
  
"Yes, Eboshi-sama."  
  
Toki left her, and Gonza took a step forward to stand at Eboshi's side. "What do you think it was, Eboshi-sama?"  
  
"I don't know, Gonza. But I think it would be best if we told no one else about it. Perhaps it is nothing at all, but we shall see."  
  
Eboshi walked off, heading towards the tent where her leper friends were staying. Gonza watched her go, and then he headed off to his own business in supervising the construction.  
  
The wood was not quite cooperating as it should. Since it was all dead, they could not take it in in measured amounts--if it was to be used, it had to be brought in, quickly. The rain had been getting to it, and some of it was still wet and growing fungus. They just didnt seem to have enough room in watertight shelters for all the cut pieces, so most of it was left uncut, as of yet. They just didn't have enough manpower--which is why Gonza was beginning to think that maybe this proposal of the Kanosen group was not such a bad thing. At first, he had been completely against it; Gonza had been very mistrusting of them, especially because their letters sounded so much like the ones they had received from Asano-sama. However, lately they had begun to chafe at the slow pace they were forced to take, and Gonza needed more strong men, and fast. Time was running out. The signs of winter were all around--the minute annual trees had all lost their leaves, now stretching trembling tender twigs to the sky. Those whose leaves had not been taken, who would retain their leaves all winter long, like a cloak that they were reluctant to throw off, seemed to grow bigger in an attempt to accomodate the stripped trees under their protection.  
  
Be that as it may, Gonza's problem remained. And he had better come up with something. Soon.  
  
Toki went back and joined the women who were on break from the billows. One of them looked up as she came in. "So, what's happening, Toki?"  
  
"Well, Ashitaka's letter came in, and he's doing just as we expected him to--impeccable. I told Eboshi-sama about the light you had seen, but she didn't seem to take it very seriously. And maybe she shouldn't--it could be nothing. But someone should still keep an eye in that direction at all times. We should know if it happens again."  
  
A few scattered murmurs of agreement were the only reply. Toki thought about saying something else, but then held her tongue. *I just have to keep in mind that it could be nothing. But I still can't help feeling that it wasn't, and that we should know about it. I wonder what Eboshi-sama will do about it if it isn't nothing.*  
  
***  
  
Ashitaka was not quite sure what to think. On the one hand, the girl had seemed frightened, almost hysterical just a few minutes ago, and now she was suddenly calm and assured, almost cocky. He assumed that the key to all of this was the sphere she held in her hand, but she was now walking away, still holding it. He made after her, calling "Wait!" but she did not even look back. He followed her, and she seemed to be going much faster than he, though he only thought she was moving at a slow walk. She led him down this street and that, going deeper into the city and away from the fires, nearly losing him twice. Finally, she stopped at a door that led into a multi-storied building. She went inside, and left the door open. Ashitaka was at this point certain that she had meant for him to follow her, and that this was probably not a good thing. He cautiously approached the door, from which light poured onto the dusty street. He got up right next to the doorframe and listened to a babble of voices from inside. After a short while, it hit him; they were speaking a different language.  
  
He listened for a bit, and then, deciding to go back and try to find his way, the voices from inside stopped. He froze, and then a rough but not unfriendly male voice called out in his own language.  
  
"Come on in, lad, we wouldn't want you left out there in the cold all night. There's a nice fire in here, and some stew, if you'd like some. Don't worry, we're all harmless."  
  
Ashitaka did not move, did not even look over his shoulder. He did not want to get tied down, especially now, when his mission was so important. He could not help but think, though, that the sphere the little girl had carried away from the fire was important, too, that it was somehow connected, in ways he couldn't fathom, to the problem that he knew San was facing. He dearly wanted to learn more, but his instinct simply would not allow.  
  
However, he was not prepared for the little girl to come outside herself, come around to face him, and ask, "What's the matter? Don't you trust us?"  
  
He stared at her, feeling again that sundered sensation, that somehow he should know what it was about that sphere that nagged at his brain, but also that he should not be here, that he should get back to where he had been sent. The girl returned his stare for a few moments, then her mouth twisted upward into a tiny smile, and she took him by the hand, turned him around, and led him towards the door. Ashitaka was unable to resist, and a part of him had no desire to, so he let her take him inside. But the feeling of dread never quite left.  
  
Inside was warm. It was a small, almost bare apartment of sorts; it had a compact kitchen, a sitting room, and three other closed doors. There was indeed a fire, which, coupled with a small candle atop a stand, threw flickering light around and orchestrated all the shadows in a wild dance.  
  
Ashitaka found himself in the sitting room. There were two chairs, a small stool, and a rug. The candle rested on a stand beside the chair to Ashitaka's left, which contained a very large muscular man. The man stood and extended a hand to him. "Welcome, stranger. My name is Hana. Here, sit down and have some stew. It's very good."  
  
Ashitaka took his hand solemnly and said, "No thank you, Hana." He did take the chair, though, attempting to look relaxed while his senses screamed at him, *I shouldn't be here!*  
  
His host settled back down and gestured at the little girl, who had situated herself atop the stool, scooting it close to the man, and said, "This is my little girl, Baruna. I see you've already been acquainted with her. What's your name, stranger?"  
  
"Ashitaka."  
  
"Where do you come from?"  
  
"I'm visiting from the town of Tatara Ba."  
  
"Ah, that's not that far from here. A road trip to see the city?"  
  
"No, I came because I was sent for."  
  
"By whom? You work for someone?"  
  
"No, a member of the Kanosen group asked for a representative from Tatara Ba to come and hear what he has to say. I was chosen."  
  
"I see." Hana was silent for a few minutes, and his hand found its way to the top of his daughter's head. She giggled and said, "Ashitaka-san, can I ask you something?"  
  
Ashitaka said nothing, but he looked at her, waiting for her to go on.  
  
"Why are you dressed like that? I've met a few people from Tatara Ba, and they don't dress like that."  
  
Ashitaka said simply, "I'm not from there. I just live there."  
  
"Where are you from?"  
  
Ashitaka paused. "How old are you, Baruna?"  
  
"Now, that's not fair. I asked you first."  
  
"I came from the east."  
  
Baruna pouted. "That's not a very good answer. I'm thirteen years old."  
  
The two of them fell silent. Ashitaka's eyes dropped to the floor for the first time, but they didn't stay there long.  
  
"How long will you be staying here, Ashitaka-san?"  
  
"Only until our business transactions are complete." There was more to that statement, but it remained unspoken. *And I hope that isn't long.*  
  
Hana took over the conversation from here. "We don't mean to pry, Ashitaka. We're just curious. Is this your first time in the city?"  
  
Ashitaka turned his gaze to Hana. "Yes, it is."  
  
"Do you like it here?"  
  
Ashitaka hesitated, and Hana laughed. "Not quite home, is it?"  
  
"I don't know, sir. It is not like any other place I have ever been."  
  
Silence descended once more, until, this time, Ashitaka disturbed it. "May I ask you a question?" At Hana's approval, Ashitaka asked, "Was that your wagon that was burning in the street?"  
  
Hana sighed, as if this was going to be tiresome to explain. "Yes, it was."  
  
"Why were you not there trying to put the fire out?"  
  
"Well, Ashitaka, there was nothing we really wanted from it. Well,  
  
almost," and Ashitaka knew he was talking about the sphere.  
  
"It seemed that the people were trying to put it out quickly so belongings could be salvaged."  
  
"They were simply looking after their own interests, Ashitaka. The only thing they cared about was making sure the fire didn't spread to their own homes."  
  
Ashitaka absorbed this. "What was it that you wanted from it?"  
  
Hana leaned back and folded his hands behind his head. "Oh, just a family heirloom. My daughter persuaded me to let her go back and retrieve it."  
  
Ashitaka let the silence overtake him again. He remained unmoving, his eyes lowered to the floor in front of his feet, for a long time; or it must have been, for the next thing Ashitaka knew, Baruna was staring at him. He blinked at her, then gave her a half-smile. "I'm sorry, I must have been thinking too hard."  
  
Hana returned the smile, only his was heart-warmingly friendly. "It's all right. I'm sure you're just tired."  
  
Ashitaka conceded the point, wondering if he should take the opportunity to leave. *No. There's still something I must know.*  
  
"About that heirloom," he said evenly, "may I see it?"  
  
Hana raised a shoulder in a shrug. "I don't see why not. Baruna, will you get it, please?"  
  
Wordlessly, Baruna rose and left the room. She returned a few minutes later, carrying the box that Ashitaka had drawn from the blazing wagon. Oddly, the scorch marks that Ashitaka had expected were gone completely; the pale, shimmery surface of the box was uninterrupted by any blemish or sign of wear of any kind. Baruna gently placed the box on Ashitaka's lap, and he carefully lifted the lid. Inside, nestled by folds of some coarse brown fabric, was the sphere. As it had the first time he had seen it, it emitted a kind of yellow light that neither flickered nor faded.  
  
Ashitaka picked it up. It was cold and smooth, but Ashitaka sensed that there was more to it. The light seemed almost familiar, and he felt as though he should know what it was. He took his eyes off of it and turned to Hana. "What is it?"  
  
Hana's face looked thoughtful. "I don't really know. It was handed down to me by my father."  
  
"Did he say what it was for?"  
  
"No. He just said we should come here and return it to a few of his friends, who would meet us here when we were ready to come."  
  
"So you don't live here either?"  
  
"We come from the east, as well. China."  
  
Ashitaka said nothing for a moment, and then he replaced the sphere. When he had put it back, he noticed that the light, steady through all, had winked just once. He sensed--as much as one could sense anything from a cold, lifeless sphere--that it contained a certain malice towards... something. He could not say what, though, and he did not mention it to the other two.  
  
Rather, he rose, set the box down on the table with the candle, and said, "I must be getting back to my lodgings. It was nice to meet you both."  
  
Hana also got to his feet, and once more extended a hand to Ashitaka, who took it less hesitantly this time. "It was our pleasure," the big man said. "We'd like to see you and talk some more another time. Where are you staying?"  
  
Ashitaka gave the man the name of the place where he was staying, and then promptly left.  
  
Halfway back down the street the way he came, he realized that he had no idea where he was or how to get back. He was just about to go back and ask for directions when he heard a voice call his name.  
  
He turned around and found Baruna standing behind him as though she had been there the whole time. "I came to walk you back. I figured you wouldn't know your way."  
  
He gave her a small smile. "I had been just about to come back and ask for directions. Thank you."  
  
They walked in utter silence for a long time. The girl's footsteps were sure and steady, and they were the only sound to be heard in the post-dusk desertion. Suddenly, Baruna stopped, and Ashitaka caught up with her. She was staring at the ground. "Why did you follow me?" she asked him evenly, not meeting his eyes. Ashitaka said nothing, and she finished, "I mean the first time."  
  
Ashitaka had thought the answer was simple, but he couldn't tell her. "I wanted to know who you were." *And what you were carrying.*  
  
As if she read his thoughts, she shook her head. "I can't believe that. You wanted to know about the stone." Now she looked up and met his eyes, and he was startled by the coldness in them, though his face showed nothing. "I tell you, Ashitaka, the stone is none of your business. You would do well to forget you ever saw it." Then her eyes dropped, and the gelid tone she had used before softened. "Besides, we won't have it all that much longer. We'll give it to my grandfather's friends, and then go back to China." She then began to walk again, not a bit slower than she had before.  
  
Ashitaka had no wish to say anything more, so he merely followed her.  
  
Baruna led him to the place where the wagon had burned. Here she stopped and looked at the semi-charred remains that had yet to be cleaned out of the street. Ashitaka wondered what had made the extinguishers leave so suddenly, but Baruna was speaking to him. "I'll leave you here," she said quietly. "I'm sure you can find your way back now."  
  
She turned to go, and Ashitaka almost called out to her, but didn't. *Those two are completely shrouded in mystery. I know no more now than I did when I first saw her.*  
  
But there was nothing he could do now. He doubted very much if he would ever see her again.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Hey, could you people do me an eensy-teensy tiny favor? REVIEW!! I don't know what you think of my story unless you review... and if you don't review, I never know if anybody out there's reading it. So, could you just give me a little morale boost every so often? Your contributions are appreciated. Oh, and I'm going to start putting disclaimers at the beginnings of every other chapter or so. I know they're not required, and I know nobody reads them anyway, but it's just for good measure, just in case anybody thinks I really do own them... ha ha... I wish. 


	4. Teeth of Iron

Chapter 4  
  
Teeth of Iron  
  
*Three nights later*  
  
The wooden door-knocker sounded.  
  
Eboshi started and sat up. A muffled voice cried from without, "It's me, Toki. I have a report of another light seen."  
  
Eboshi rose, put on her dressing gown, and opened the door. "Yes, Toki. Another light?"  
  
"Well, we think it's the same one, because it came from the same place, but it was bright yellow this time. No white at all. And it was brighter, too."  
  
"All right. Who was the one who saw it?"  
  
"It was Kyo, Eboshi-sama."  
  
"Take me to her."  
  
"This way."  
  
Toki started off with Eboshi in tow. They passed through the quiet beaten-dirt streets around the wooden walls of the buildings and ascended onto the upper watch balustrade. Three women knelt there, their eyes riveted to the dark southeastern skyline.  
  
One of them looked up when they arrived. "There hasn't been another sighting since, Eboshi-sama, but we're still watching just in case."  
  
Eboshi approached Kyo from behind. "What did it look like?" she asked the woman calmly.  
  
"It was bright and yellow. Almost like lightning. It flashed a few times, and then it just died. We didn't see anything else."  
  
"Thank you." Eboshi stood up and faced Toki. "There should be someone here at all times every night just in case something changes. Even if it's nothing, we should still keep an eye on it."  
  
"Yes, ma'am."  
  
Eboshi went down to the ground level of the town and found Gonza waiting for her outside her tent. "I saw you leave with Toki, and I couldn't catch up. What's going on?"  
  
"Gonza, when the sun rises I want you to send out an investigation team of about five men or so. Head southeast, spanning out and searching for anything out of the ordinary. Take a few days, and then return to report anything sited."  
  
"May I ask what we're looking for?"  
  
"Just anything not normal."  
  
"Yes, Eboshi-sama."  
  
^^^  
  
San awoke in the den with one of her brothers. It had been three days since they last had heard anything from the strange humans. They had been keeping a constant eye on them, going in shifts to watch and make sure that they didn't do anything suspicious, and so far, all they seemed to be doing was staying put in their tents. San quickly rose and went out, heading in the direction of the valley, where she knew her other brother was waiting for her.  
  
He was sitting on his haunches, his back to her, his ears twitching as he heard her come up behind him. "They've had visitors," he rumbled quietly.  
  
"What?" San's voice was incredulous. She stepped up beside him. "Who?"  
  
"There were two of them. A man and a girl. They came, gave something to the intruders, and then left."  
  
"What did they give them?"  
  
"It was a box wrapped in cloth. They took something yellow out of it and used it to make those."  
  
San looked, and she saw something that hadn't been there before--there were markings on the ground inside the yellow circle, a different marking for each of the four poles.  
  
San fell silent, questions running through her mind. She gave her brother a grateful pat on the head, and then he left her. San stood for a long time, looking down at the campsite below, her left hand gripping her spear. After a bit, she sat down in the lee of her favorite rock and continued her vigil, wishing Ashitaka was there.  
  
^^^  
  
Ashitaka would awaken about an hour later. He had told Kurayami Juu that he had written to Eboshi Gozen in Tatara Ba, and now he awaited her response. In the meantime, Kurayami-san had offered to give him a guide for a tour of the city. Ashitaka declined the offer, preferring to find his way around himself. Secretly, Ashitaka wanted to see if he could indeed find his way back to the temporary home of Hana and Baruna. He wanted to know more about them; specifically, where it was that the sphere would find its resting place with Hana's father's friends. He had spent the better part of yesterday searching for the place, but he must have gone farther than he thought that very dark night, because he hadn't found it. However, he had a good idea of where to look, and that's what he intended to do today.  
  
Immediately following his awakening, Ashitaka freshened up, descended the stairs, and breakfasted in the common room. He left shortly and went to see Yakul in the stables, making sure that he had been given proper nourishment. It was now his practice to take Yakul with him when he went somewhere in the city, partially because the poor elk needed to get out and partially because he needed the company. As usual, Yakul greeted him with an eager nudge on the shoulder. Ashitaka smiled. "You ready to get going, too?"  
  
Yakul ruffled Ashitaka's hair playfully and stamped his foot. Ashitaka gave him what he had saved from his breakfast and then proceeded to bridle and saddle him.  
  
Once they were both ready, Ashitaka mounted and the two of them started off. The air had begun to get nippier as the days passed, and Ashitaka had taken to wearing his reed cloak whenever he went out of doors. The snows would be descending upon the mountains soon, as it was nearing the end of the tenth month.  
  
Ashitaka leaned over and said to Yakul, "What say we try again where we left off yesterday?" Yakul shook his head as if to say, "It matters not to me." Ashitaka smiled and nudged him in the side; the elk began to canter, a rare thing, but necessary--the streets were too narrow and crowded for a run.  
  
They finally found themselves at the place where Ashitaka's memory failed him, and he knew that this was where they had stopped in the near-dark hours the day before and turned back. He urged Yakul onward. They checked every street for something familiar, backtracking over and over to what seemed to be the main branch.   
  
They did this for a few hours until Ashitaka spotted something. "Over there," he murmured, more to himself than to the elk.  
  
They rounded a corner--and Ashitaka had found it. They were in the tiny alleyway that he remembered, and look! there was Hana's back door, looking stark and forbidding in the daylight.  
  
There were no lights on inside. Ashitaka knocked, but no one answered. He tried the door, but it was definitely locked. Ashitaka did not want to be accused of trying to break in, so he leaned up against the doorpost and tried to make sense of it. If they were really gone for good, that would mean that the round thing was already in place in someone else's hands. Just whose hands those were, Ashitaka still had no idea.  
  
Frowning, Ashitaka climbed back up onto Yakul's back, and the two of them made the journey back in a pensive silence. About halfway there, Yakul reached around and nibbled on the end of Ashitaka's moccassin. Ashitaka started out of his reverie, and then he laughed. "Sorry to worry you, Yakul. I should look on the bright side more often. Now I've only got two things to worry about."  
  
Seeming satisfied that his master was properly brought back to the present, Yakul resumed trotting down to the square and then right back to the inn. Ashitaka's mind wandered off again, but not very far this time. *I wonder how San's faring.*  
  
Ashitaka returned to the inn to find a letter there waiting for him from Eboshi. It read,  
  
Ashitaka,  
  
I have received your letter and understand its contents. I am replying to instruct you thus: go to Kurayami-san and deliver to him the other letter I have enclosed with this one. It asks him if he will allow you to sit in on his board meetings until further notice. I want you to listen very carefully to what is said, but not so much what is said as what is done. You understand what I ask; I want to know how they do business, and whether they are honorable men. I also enclose further funding, just in case. I await your report.  
  
Cordially,  
  
Eboshi Gozen  
  
Ashitaka took note of the second piece of paper, which was folded up separately, as he digested what he had just read. Ashitaka would, if Eboshi had her way, be spending most of the remaining days in a meeting hall, listening--which was just fine with him.  
  
^^^  
  
When the sun rose over the wooden roofs of Tatara Ba, the gate swung ponderously upward, admitting the small search party. They crossed the landbridge and disappeared around the bend, reappearing when they reached the edge of the young forest, only to vanish from view again.  
  
The party traveled steadily south east; they fanned out along a wide area, each keeping track of the two men on his right and left. They did not speak, so as not to announce their arrival to anyone or anything unpleasant--like Moro's pups or the wolf-girl.  
  
As they knew would eventually happen, they came to an area where the forest cover thinned and vanished. They treaded right across this area, keeping their eyes peeled. Ahead was a series of ridges, and one of the men, who had been designated the short-distance scout, ascended the highest accessible point of the first one and peered out.  
  
"There are about four ridges," he reported to Gonza below. "The fourth one drops off into a valley."  
  
"Can you see anything else?"  
  
"No, sir."  
  
"All right then. Let's go."  
  
They moved out, looking like ants running low over the sparsely vegetated mountain ridges. They all came to the fourth one at about the same time, but the scout ascended it first. He looked over, ducked back down, then looked again. He then slid back down and reported. "There are four large tents," he said. "Not far from the tents is a wide circle drawn on the ground in yellow, and there are four posts around the circle making the points of a cross." He demonstrated the sight with his hands.  
  
Gonza then asked, "Was there anyone there?"  
  
"No, sir. Not that I could see. They might have been in the tents."  
  
"Well, there's only one way to find out." He gestured to four of the men. "You four come with me, and you as well. The rest of you stay here and keep watch, but keep out of sight."  
  
After a chorus of "Yes, sir," the men dispersed, and Gonza, the four men, and the scout walked cautiously down the ridge towards the odd campsite.  
  
Gonza knocked on the hanging door knocker, and after a few minutes, the tent flap lifted to reveal a short, strange-looking man. His head was completely bald, and he wore the brown robes of a monk, but there were markings at the hem that Gonza found familiar, but unreadable. The man looked at Gonza, then behind him at Gonza's men, then back to Gonza. His face was strange, but not unfriendly. "May I help you gentlemen?"  
  
"Yes, you can. I would like to ask you a few questions, if you don't mind."  
  
"Certainly. Won't you come inside?"  
  
They stepped into a spacious tent. The floor was bare, save for the wooden braces that extended from floor to ceiling, a large wooden chest, and a few stools. The summer grass was mostly dead, and the stalks were bent over, flattened to the ground by flat-sandaled feet. The man took one of the stools and brought it up so he could sit on it. "Very well, gentlemen," he said, "you may ask your questions."  
  
Gonza's voice was businesslike. "All right, then. Are there more of you here?"  
  
The man nodded. "There are four of us."  
  
"And what do you plan to do here?"  
  
"That is rather our business, if you don't mind. We do not plan to stay forever, if that's what you want to know."  
  
Gonza made a noise that implied that that wasn't really what he wanted to know, but he continued. "Do you know anything about lights in the sky appearing somewhere near here?"  
  
The man peered up at him through heavy-lidded eyes. "Lights? Oh, you mean that!" The man then laughed, as if it was some inside joke. "Well, you needn't worry about those. I suppose you've noticed the setting out there." He gestured to the yellow circle, which was visible from his tent flap, which he had left open. "My friends and I have been experimenting out there with different types of flares, and I suppose we didn't think about someone seeing them. We thought these mountains were uninhabited by humans." He said this last as if he had known that they were inhabited by something else.  
  
"If it's only flares, then why the elaborate setup?"  
  
"Oh, we like ceremonial things. As you can see--" he gestured to his clothing-- "we even like to look the part. Call it a hobby that we all share."  
  
Gonza considered this. "Where did all of you come from?"  
  
"We came by boat from the landmass of China."  
  
Now Gonza knew why the markings on the man's robes were strangely familiar. He had heard lore of China, that a lot of things they did there were similar to customs on Japan. "Then how is it that you speak Japanese?"  
  
"We all learned at the same school together, and when we learned to read and write, we also learned to speak, read, and write Japanese, so we could learn the similarities and differences. We all went to a school that was taught by a Buddhist who had lived in Japan for a long time, you see, and he thought it important to pass on the knowledge he had gathered there by teaching us the language. We eventually decided that we would visit Japan one day, ourselves, just to see what it was like."  
  
"Sounds like you've known each other for a long time."  
  
"Oh, my friends and I go back a long way, that we do. We did almost everything together."  
  
"Would they mind if we talked to them as well?"  
  
"I'm sure they would not mind being bothered."  
  
The man rose, and Gonza followed him out with his men in tow.  
  
The other four men were much the same, and Gonza was not surprised that they had much of the same tale to tell. That is not to say that he believed it, of course--just that it was very convincing. If it wasn't true, they had gone to a lot of trouble to conceal whatever was. Which, if possible, put Gonza further out on his edge.  
  
Once Gonza was somewhat satisfied with their explanation, the men then requested, not unexpectedly, that Gonza tell them about where he had come from. As the first man had said, they had had no idea that any other humans lived in this forest. Gonza told them a little about Tatara Ba--only what he thought they needed to know, and no more--like their industrial endeavors, how long they had been there, and so on. He made sure not to reveal their location, however, explaining that he was 'not free to disclose that at this time.'  
  
Gonza then realized that they had stayed longer than he had intended, and he thanked the four men and left promptly.  
  
Once they were all reunited, they made all possible speed back to Tatara Ba to report what they had learned.  
  
The four men they left behind, however, did not disperse back to their own tents, but remained to discuss the strangeness in their own language, so if they were overheard, they wouldn't be understood.  
  
"This changes things," said one of them. "We will now have to keep our secret from humans? This will be harder than we thought."  
  
"Are you suggesting that we postpone, Chow Yi?" said another dryly. "As you well know, we are on schedule, and should remain so if we intend to finish on time."  
  
"But he's right, you know," said another one. "We will have to be extra careful. The humans noticed our operations, and they came looking for us. For all we know, they intend to watch us constantly from now on. What will you do then, Soo Tang?"  
  
"They are of no concern to us! They couldn't stop us even if they tried!"  
  
"Then why did you bother to cook up that lie to tell them, hmmm?"  
  
"I just don't want them snooping around! And you all agreed that the lie sounded feasible. Do you now disagree, when it is too late?"  
  
"No, the lie was a good one. It should hold them off for a while. I just see no reason to be unprepared when it does eventually fall through."  
  
"We won't be, Yao Po. We won't be."  
  
^^^  
  
MUAHAHAHAHA! I have finished four chapters! *does happy dance* Now review! I command thee! 


	5. Reopened

Chapter 5  
  
Reopened  
  
Directly following the noon meal, Ashitaka took Yakul to the Kanosen headquarters building. Leaving Yakul tied to a wooden post outside, he entered the building and was told that Kurayami was in his office. Ashitaka made his way there and found Kurayami just coming out of it.  
  
"Kurayami-san!"  
  
The man turned, and his face barely changed when he saw Ashitaka. "Yes? What is it?"  
  
Ashitaka held out the envelope that he had received from Eboshi. "This arrived in the mail today. There is a letter for you from Eboshi." Ashitaka had removed his own letter.  
  
Kurayami took it and read the enclosed letter. He was silent for a moment, and then he said, "I assume you know what it says."  
  
Ashitaka nodded. "I have received my own correspondence."  
  
"Mmm. You must understand, then, that this is an unusual request. My colleagues did not expect such demands. I will have to speak with them about it first, of course."  
  
"Of course."  
  
"In fact, I was just on my way to our first meeting of the day. You may certainly accompany me there, to learn their decision."  
  
Ashitaka said nothing more as he followed the man down the hall.  
  
They came to the room where Ashitaka had been directed to the first time he had entered this building. *Has it only been a week?* he marveled.  
  
Ashitaka had not been allowed in the room then. Now, he looked around and understood why it was so often used. It was an enormous room, elongated and spacious. A long, high table stretched nearly its length. The table was finely polished, and many chairs were spaced about its perimeter. And all around were men dressed in the same colorless business suits that Kurayami wore.  
  
Upon their entrance, some of the men noticed Ashitaka with obvious surprise. One clique came to meet Kurayami, and they spoke in lowered tones which Ashitaka heard anyway. "Why have you brought him here?" one asked.  
  
Kurayami held his hands up. "Please," he said loudly, and they all seemed to back away slightly. Kurayami then raised his voice so all could hear. "Let us commence."  
  
The men all sat down in the chairs--all but Ashitaka, who stood somewhere between the door and the chairs in the center of the table.  
  
They immediately began taking care of things, but not all of them were concerned with what Kurayami was saying. Several of them kept glancing at Ashitaka with growing suspicion, and eventually no one contributed much to the discussion except for Kurayami. Finally, one of them stood and said clearly, "May I have permission to speak?"  
  
Kurayami glanced at him and said, "Go ahead."  
  
"I don't think that he--" he pointed at Ashitaka "--should be here."  
  
This time Kurayami gave him a steady gaze. "Well, you must have some reason why. Please continue."  
  
"Yes, I do! Is he an entrepreneur? Does he plan to become one? If he doesn't, then he doesn't really have a place in our meetings, does he?"  
  
Kurayami turned to Ashitaka. "Ashitaka, would you please explain to Takahashi-san why you are here?"  
  
Ashitaka took a breath and said slowly and clearly, "I received in the mail this morning a letter from Eboshi Gozen. She enclosed a letter to Kurayami-san that requested that I sit in for your daily meetings where you hold discussions. The same was written in her letter to me. Kurayami-san said he would have to speak with all of you on this matter, so I accompanied him here to learn your decision."  
  
A brief silence followed, and then Takahashi said, "And why has Kurayami not brought this up before now?"  
  
Kurayami looked at him sharply. "I did not deem it as urgent as some of the other matters at hand, Takahashi-san. I apologize if my judgment offends you."  
  
Takahashi opened his mouth, and then swiftly shut it again. He took a few moments to regain his composure and then said, "No apology is necessary, Kurayami-san. I'm sure you had reasons."  
  
Kurayami gave the man a thin smile. "Thank you, Takahashi-san." Then, speaking to the collective audience, he said, "I'm sure all of you know Ashitaka is the representative of Tatara Ba who was sent to us about a week ago. He was correct in stating that I have received a correspondence from Eboshi Gozen asking that we allow Ashitaka to sit in on our meetings. I wish to know your thoughts on this matter."  
  
There were a few murmurs, but no definite answers. That is, until one of the more elderly genlemen stood and said, "Did Eboshi say why she wished us to do this?"  
  
"No, she did not," Kurayami replied.  
  
"Then how are we to know how to go about this? We have never had anyone sit in for meetings before. Is he to be allowed to contribute? Will he sit at the table, or to the side? We don't know where to start."  
  
Ashitaka watched all of these with a patient silence. He knew that any suggestions from him would not be welcomed, despite Kurayami's provisions and kindly allowances. This group of men was a very serious one, and they would not take much lightly.  
  
Kurayami said smoothly, "That is why we must decide. I propose that Ashitaka indeed join us, but that he sit by a wall, so as not to disturb our proceedings. If my guess is correct, all he will be required to do is listen, so he will not need to speak at all. Will that satisfy you?"  
  
There ensued some low muttering, but no more blatant disagreements. "Good," said Kurayami, "it's settled. Ashitaka, your place awaits you." He gestured to a chair that was stationed just to the right of the door frame--its original purpose Ashitaka could not guess--and Ashitaka took it.  
  
The 'proceedings' consisted of much fast-paced discussion, and it took Ashitaka a while to catch on. Once he understood how they took care of menial things, he listened very closely. The hours seemed to drag on, but still Ashitaka sat.  
  
^^^  
  
San sat astride one of her brothers, and the other panted on his flank as they pounded through the underbrush. Her face was half-hidden by her war mask, and behind it, her eyes smouldered with anger. She was sick of these intruders. This had simply been the last straw. Now, they were going to take that gold box and destroy whatever was inside. She disliked the thing, and it clearly meant something to the four men. Besides, all three of them were just itching for a fight. San would make them pay for what they'd done--and what they planned to do. How dare they contaminate her forest this way?  
  
Suddenly, both wolves stopped. Hackles raised, eyes blazing, they stared ahead with contempt in every inch of them. San could smell them. Just then, a rain of sticks and stones came down upon them. San knocked a few aside, and then she pushed up her mask and shouted, "What do you want?"  
  
"You go, evil comes. All of this is wolf-girl's fault," came the droning reply.  
  
"We're trying to chase away the evil!" San retorted.  
  
"Evil does not go. Wolf-girl cannot save the forest this way."  
  
"What would you have us do, then? The humans are still here, and you want us not to fight?"  
  
"Humans will tear up forest. Evil tears up gods. There will be none left. Run away, before it is too late."  
  
"You can't give up now! Just now, we can beat them, before the evil comes and destroys all of us."  
  
"This evil is too much! Wolf-girl will die, and then leave the forest to humans!"   
  
The wolf that was not carrying San suddenly growled. "I have had enough disrespect from you, Shoujou! Begone!"  
  
The Shoujou sent another rain of limbs and rocks at them, and then they were gone, leaving only quiet.  
  
San sighed, looking in the direction the Shoujou had fled. "Forget about them, San," said the wolf under her. "We have business to finish."  
  
San, seeming to come out of a daydream, gave a fierce nod, replaced her mask, and leaned forward as the wolves took off again.  
  
It was not far to the brim of the valley, the last of the four ridges. However, instead of attacking straight down, they branched off, one going right, the other going left, edging the valley and then rounding around to strike at different ends.  
  
One of the men left the tent, but whether it was by coincidence or because he had heard them coming, San couldn't tell. He saw the wolves, and his face registered shock just before he dashed back inside his tent. He almost instantly reappeared, holding a gong. He banged on it a few times, but by then San and the wolf had reached their campsite. The battle-incensed wolf dashed into the closest tent, and San grabbed the center pole that held it upright. The cloth billowed down over their heads, and the man inside shrieked in an unfamiliar language. The tent was soon landed in disarray--tables overturned, trunks sent sprawling--and San lifted the tent cover over her brother's head so he could get out. The other brother was doing the same to another tent, and the wolf carrying San dashed to another one to continue the dismantling.  
  
However, this one proved not to be so easy in the overtaking. The man who occupied this tent was waiting for them at the entrance, and he held a large pole with a circular wooden frame at the end, from which swung a net. With one swift stroke, he placed it over the wolf's head, bereaving him of sight. San's brother shook his head in doglike fashion, but the net stuck fast, the pole swinging dangerously from side to side.  
  
The man, having occupied the intruder with teeth, then proceeded to swing a large wooden stick at San, who promptly dismounted. She hit the ground running forward, spear thrust outward at the man, who dodged it. So this went for a while, San and the man dodging, thrusting, parrying, slashing, naught but a whir of white fur and brown cloth. The wolf, who had by now freed himself of his snare, busied himself with the upsetting of the man's tent and everything in it.  
  
Suddenly, there was a great bursting noise, a shattering of glass, and the roar of a wolf. Both San and her contester looked over, and this sight met their eyes; the third tent had been collapsed and set partially aflame, with one of San's brothers inside. She immediately abandoned her fight to go and help him. She took hold of the tent canvas and flipped it upward, poles and all other things attached. As the cloth billowed dubiously downward, a blaze of white swept past San, who released the tent. Another man in brown clothing followed the adolescent mountain god, who rounded on him, watching.  
  
The other three men came up behind them, and San turned to face them. The four men together made a circle. Just then, the other wolf appeared around the ruins of a tent and leaped over the head of one man, joining San and his brother in the center.  
  
The two opposing sides glared at each other for a few moments until one of the men stepped forward. "It is finished," he said. "You must leave now, or we will be forced to destroy you."  
  
One of the wolves growled in reply, "Big words from a small, insignificant human mean nothing to the gods of this forest. It is you who must leave, trespassers!"  
  
"I was not speaking to you, Wolf. I was addressing the girl."  
  
San gave a small start, and her eyes widened, but her voice was fierce when she spoke. "I don't intend to let some human bully me into doing anything! I'm staying here, and if you refuse to leave then I will kill you all!"  
  
At this, the man began to laugh. The wolf to San's right growled loudly and looked at him. He said, "It's your life, child."  
  
As he said this, San's eyes found and fixed on something behind him. Her face hardened for a split second, and then she lowered her spear and dashed out of the circle, shoving to the ground the man who had been speaking. She stopped in front of one of the disassembled tents and picked up a box about as wide as her hips and maybe a hand high. It was smooth and pale, and gleamed in the dim firelight. She wrenched the box open, and streams of yellow light danced into view. The sphere, nestled in its sack-cloth bowl, flashed and flickered as if it contained fire. San flipped the box over, attempting to dislodge the sphere, but it would not come. She shook the box, but the sphere stuck fast. She righted the box and then tried to pry it out with her fingers, and then yelped in pain and jerked her hand away. Her fingers were bright red where the orb's surface had burned them.  
  
Then San could hear the laughing of all four of the men. She whirled around angrily, spear in hand, but one of them held up his hand for silence. "It was not our doing, I assure you, Wolf-girl. The sphere itself repulses the gods. You abide among them. You have their essence on you. Therefore you are its enemy."  
  
San desperately relatched the box's lid and gave it a mighty hurl. It landed in the fire of the burning tent. With a kind of finality in her voice, she cried, "Then let it come and destroy us! We will be ready!" Then the men's faces all registered shock and alarm, and they all rushed to the fire, clamoring to get to the box.  
  
San's brothers then came to her side. One of them brushed his tongue over her burnt fingers, and she patted him and said softly, "We're leaving."  
  
  
  
^^^  
  
Ashitaka composed a letter to Eboshi that evening. He told her of the day's occurrances, and that he would rejoin the entrepreneurs the following morning. He also included the information that she had asked him to listen for--like how the group functioned, and what kind of businessman Kurayami was. 'He seems trustworthy,' he wrote. 'However, so did Asano-sama at first. I leave the final decision in your hands. I have told you all I know. Signed, Ashitaka.'  
  
Ashitaka sealed the letter and then went to bed, wondering how San was doing.  
  
^^^  
  
Eboshi had just finished making her daily rounds of inspection. This was common, and the men were used to seeing her around their worksites for one reason or another, so none of them paid her especial mind. Eboshi wondered how many men Kurayami planned to send to help them. God knew they would need the help--this winter promised to be the harshest they had seen in nearly ten years. They had already gotten a taste of frost, and it had laid several of the men low with chills and threatened to put out the fires. She wanted details, and she wanted them now, but she would just have to wait until things hammered themselves out. Meanwhile, Ashitaka was doing the best he could, she was sure. That would just have to do--for now. 


	6. Puzzle Pieces

Chapter 6

San awoke, and blinked a few times. The air by her face was nippy, but under her wolf skin, it was nicely cozy. She stretched and shivered when tendrils of cold air snaked in under her clothing. The sun had not made it into the shallow cave, and the chill of the night still lingered. She rose and went out to find her brothers.

They were both drinking at a small creek, a tributary of the river. She dipped her hands in it, and washed her face. Then she muttered darkly, "The humans must know of the intruders' plans. Eboshi's men went to see them, but they did nothing."

One of them replied, "I don't know, San. Perhaps they lied."

"Perhaps. But why would they? The humans-"

"Humans even deceive themselves, sometimes. They watch but they do not see. They hear but they do not listen. Some of them take advantage of the others in that regard. Perhaps they do not know."

San paused, pensive. "Well, there's one way to find out." She turned her head and gazed eastward. Over a few rises in that direction lay Eboshi's Tatara Ba.

Eboshi had just finished her breakfast and was on her way to the storehouses when she was waylaid by a messenger. "Eboshi-sama!" the man cried, "Eboshi-sama, the wolves and the wolf princess are coming!"

Eboshi was not sure whether to be curious or suspicious. She asked the man, "How do they come?"

"They are walking out of the forest, my lady."

Eboshi decided on curiosity. "Walking? Thank you, Aki."

"Yes, Eboshi-sama."

Eboshi made her way to the fortress gate. It was closed when she got there, but through a slit in the adjacent wall, she could see the wolves coming around the mountain. When they came near, they stopped, and San dismounted and walked up a little farther. A woman on top of the gate shouted, "What do you seek here, wolf-girl?"

San's clear voice carried through to the other side. "I need to speak with Eboshi."

"What do you want with Eboshi-sama? She's a very busy woman."

"She's not too busy for this." She raised her voice a pitch louder. "Eboshi! If you can hear me, come out!"

A woman standing beside Eboshi asked her in a murmur, "Should we send her away?"

Eboshi replied in a low voice, "No. She won't go even if you try. I will speak with her. Open the gate."

"Yes, Eboshi-sama. Open the gate! Let the wolf girl in!"

The command was obeyed with some reluctance. When the three visitors came into view, Eboshi saw San mutter something to the wolves, and one of them responded with a throaty growl. Its eyes flashed coolly, taking in everything. It growled some more, and then together they proceeded to enter the gate. The people who had come to watch moved back apprehensively at their approach. Eboshi, however, moved forward to meet them. "Would you like to come to the meetinghouse, where there will be privacy?" she asked. San nodded.

Once the door of the meetinghouse was shut, San spoke. "I know that some men from here have spoken with the strangers."

Eboshi nodded. "That is true. I sent them. Gonza tells me that they are priests of some kind."

"Is that all?"

Eboshi paused. "He also says that they are experimenting with some type of fireworks in the mountains, and that they don't know how long they will stay."

"Well, that's a lie. They're trying to usurp the Gods of the Forest by using some sort of magical weapon against us. They think that we stole their land, when it's the other way around!"

"How do you know this?"

"From their own mouths! They attacked us with some kind of heathen magic, and told us that if we did not soon leave, they would take the mountains back by force."

Eboshi was silent for a long moment. Outside the cabin, the sun had risen above the mountain, and its light shone coldly on the town. The air had grown chillier overnight, and the men now dressed in warmer clothes to go out and cut limber for firewood. The distant roaring crash of the bellows could be heard even from here.

Eboshi said finally, choosing her words carefully, "We have no weapons nor skills for fighting magic, if indeed it is magic they wield. You say they think that the Gods stole their land? When Tatara Ba was first built here, there were no other settlements on these mountains. They were not the first settlers here."

"It doesn't make sense regardless of which humans were here first! The Gods have inhabited these mountains since the beginning of time! If anyone has the right to claim ownership, it is they!" San clenched her fists and her teeth and fell silent, her eyes seething with anger.

Eboshi's voice was carefully calm. "What did you plan to gain by telling us this? Our help in throwing them out?"

San stiffened, and her eyes grew colder. "Make no mistake, Eboshi. Far be it from the Gods to beg help from the humans. I wanted to make sure that you know why they are here, so you are not tempted to give them aid of any kind against us. It would be better if you stayed out of this one, Eboshi. They are not to be trusted."

Eboshi's eyes flashed for a second, and then were still again. "I'll be the judge of that," she said icily.

San's control threatened to lose its grip, but then she whirled about and left, letting the door slam behind her. Eboshi moved slowly to the door, opened it, and watched San and the wolves canter down the street from the doorway. Upon discovering that the gate had been shut behind them, they swiftly leaped to a nearby rooftop, then to the gangway, and over the wall to the road by which they had come.

Ashitaka had no sooner received the summons from Eboshi-sama than he was out of the hotel and headed for the forest once again. Yakul's step was brisk, and Ashitaka knew the red elk was as eager to be out of the city as he was. The sojourn with Kurayami-san had proved largely uninformative as well as time-consuming. However, Ashitaka felt sure that, nonetheless, Eboshi-sama would ask him for every detail, every minute bit of it.

The ride out of the city was peaceful, since it was still early, even for the merchants. Once they had left the last remnant of 'civilization' behind, Ashitaka let Yakul have his head, pushing back his cap and letting the wind tousle his hair. Soon, they reached the treeline, running headlong into deep forest.

Passing over a ridge, Ashitaka caught sight of smoke to the distant south. "That's odd," he said to himself. "It's in the forest. Something's going on over there." Ashitaka replaced his headgear and turned Yakul to the south, towards the column of smoke. Ashitaka could only guess at whose fire it came from.

When he reached the site, he found the small bowl valley with the collection of tents at its base and the strange cultish-looking circle at the epicenter. He stared for a few moments, but he could see no one about in the campsite. All was quiet. He leaned forward gently, and Yakul began a slow descent down the bank.

The site seemed, if possible, even more deserted up close. The tents looked forlorn, almost discarded. However, Ashitaka knew better. The calf-high grasses were freshly trampled, and there was a faint scent of cooking food lingering in the air surrounding the tents.

Ashitaka contemplated calling out, but then he caught sight of the circle on the far side of the farthest tent, a nearly perfect circle inscribed in the dirt, seemingly undisturbed by… anything. Inside the small trench that marked the circle, no grass grew, and no footprints could be discerned. The bare soil seemed to be withering as he watched, as though something was sucking the life out of it. Four wooden posts, like sentinels, stood facing the cardinal directions.

Ashitaka was just dismounting when movement from the tents caught his eye. Almost simultaneously, four men in shabby brown robes emerged from four separate tents.Three of them pretended not to notice Ashitaka, but one of them approached at a slow, steady shuffle. _They're monks,_ thought Ashitaka. _But why are they here?_

The one stopped a few feet away. "Can I help you, young man?" he asked. Ashitaka then saw that the man was young for an independent Buddhist monk; usually apprenticeship took years and years. However, this man could not have been older than thirty, perhaps younger. _So they're not Buddhists._

"Yes," replied Ashitaka. "I was traveling home, and I was merely curious. What brings you here?"

"Ah," said the man, "you are from Tatara Ba?"

Ashitaka hesitated. "Yes."

"I see. I am Chiang Yun, and these are my brothers. We are here as religious exiles from China, and have here taken refuge."

Ashitaka guessed that the inscription in the ground must be part of their practices. Still, he asked, "How long do you intend to stay?"

"We have spoken with men from your village, who did not ask us to leave. Our presence here should be peaceful."

Ashitaka bowed to the man. "I am sorry for my intrusion. Thank you for answering my questions." He turned to go, but the man's voice stopped him.

"Wait! We have a few questions ourselves. Who are you? Why do you dress strangely, not like the other men from your village? And the other men did not ride red elks. Where are you really from? Come come, it is rude not to give us at least your name, when I have told you mine."

Ashitaka bowed again. "Forgive me. I am merely anxious to be home. My name is Ashitaka. I came to Tatara Ba from my own home, from which I too was exiled. I am merely keeping my own traditions. Now, gentlemen, I beg your leave. I must be getting home." He bowed a third time, and this time it was returned. He then mounted Yakul and tried to prod him toward the far end of the campsite, but Yakul would not go any closer to the entrenched ritual site. Ashitaka took him back out around the tents, and then they rode around and out of the valley without looking back.

Baruna walked, calm and unhurried, through the forest. Hana, her father, had never spoken freely of the forest, but she had never understood why. Even now, as she traversed it, she could not see why he would wish to forget such a sublimely tranquil place. She could not help but compare it to her home forest; where that one had been just as peaceful and beautiful, it lacked the intense feeling of _life_ that this one had. She could not place it, but somehow, this forest was so much more than a mere forest. She could spend a lifetime here and never learn all its secrets.

Suddenly, she felt eyes on her. She stopped walking and scanned the forest around her. Protectively, her hand sought out the gold pendant around her neck. She saw no one, but the feeling of being watched did not leave. _This forest is haunted,_ she thought, her breath shallow.

Suddenly, her eyes shot upward. She now searched the trees for the hidden watcher. Slowly, she turned—and met several pairs of blinking red eyes in the branches. She gasped and stepped back, but did not run. There was something surreal about those eyes, as well as the apes they belonged to. A long silence ensued, in which Baruna and the apes stared at each other, unmoving.

Then the ape closest to her, the one on the lowest branch, opened its mouth and spoke. "Leave this forest, human. You are not welcome here." At that, a rain of twigs and pebbles came at her.

Baruna's eyes widened, and then she threw up one hand over her head and ran—not back the way she had come, but deeper into the forest. _If I can just reach their camp,_ she thought desperately, _I'll be safe._ She looked back over her shoulder and stopped. The forest behind her was quiet, with no sign of pursuit by the apes. Still the giant ape-gods—for she knew they must have been gods—had unnerved her, so she took up a faster pace, hoping she still remembered the way.


End file.
